IMAGE petrophysical catalogue –an international database of rock properties for reservoir characterization

Abstract

Petrophysical rock properties are key to populate local and/or regional numerical models and for the interpretation of many geophysical investigation methods. Searching for rock property values that have been measured for a specific rock unit at a specific site might become a very time-consuming challenge given that such data are spread across diverse compilations and that the number of publications on new measurements is continuously increasing. Furthermore, the applicability of laboratory data to specific locations or reservoir units might be questionable if information on the sample location, petrography, stratigraphy, measuring method and conditions are too sparse or even lacking.
Within the scope of the EC funded project IMAGE (Integrated Methods for Advanced Geothermal Exploration, grant agreement No. 608553) an open-access database is currently under development. This database aims at providing easily accessible information on physical rock properties relevant for geothermal exploration and reservoir characterization in one single compilation. Hence, collected data include hydraulic, thermophysical and mechanical properties and, in addition, electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility. Each measured value is complemented by relevant meta-information such as the corresponding sample location, petrographic description and, most importantly, original citation. Within this publication, we describe the structure and contents of the database and discuss its limitations and advantages in terms of applicability.